Juicer



Feb. 16, 1943. M. D. GlLLANDERs JUICER Filed May 6, 1940 2 Shets-Sheet i .INVENTCR. Gala/249w ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1943 corporation of Missouri Application May 6, 1940, Serial No. 333,639

14 Claims.

My invention relates to a juicerparticularly adapted for juicing fruit, vegetablesand the like by cutting or grinding them between opposite cutter plates, and then separating the juice from the pulp by centrifugal force.

One object of my invention is to provide a comparatively simple juicer of the character mentioned which can be inexpensively manufactured and therefore sold at a relatively: low cost.

Another object is to provide a juicer wherein a pair of dished cutter platesare arranged with their open sides toward each other, one of the plates being mounted stationary and the other being rotatable relative thereto at a high speed such as at the speed of an electric'motor, the

peripheries of the cutter 'plates being closely spaced to provide a narrow slot through which form of a spring retracted pin being provided for the sleeve to prevent rotation thereof while unscrewing the cutter or screwing it back in position.

With theseand other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Although the invention is susceptible of a variety of embodiments,

it is unnecessary to fully describe and illustrate more than one in order to give a full understanding of the invention both from its' structural and "functional standpoints. Accordingly, I have ilmaterial after it is reduced to pulp and juice by j the cutting action of the cutter plates mustpass, and being confined by the peripheral slot to relatively small particles.

Another object is to provide a screen for straining the pulp from the juice, the screen being ro-.

tatable as with the rotary cutter so that the straining action is aided by centrifugal force.

Still a further object is to provide a screen in the form of a rotating truncated cone slanting upwardly and outwardly so that centrifugal force, aided by additional pulp issuing from the peripheral slot, tends to, work the pulp up the screen and over the upper edge of the screen onto an annular ledge, a juice bowl being provided surrounding the screen for the purpose of catching 'juice issuing through the slot and the screen,

and the bowl being provided with a pulp slot through which the pulp may be discharged by the blades on the screen which move the pulp around the annular ledge and then into a pulp chute independent of juice discharged from the juice bowl through a juice spout thereof. I

Still another object is to provide a juicer of the character disclosed wherein the cutter plates, the juice bowl and the motor for driving the juicer are mounted as an assembly by means of resilient bushings on a motor housing which serves as a support, any vibration of the motor and juicer mechanism being thereby absorbed by the resilient bushings instead of being transmitted to the motor housing.

Still another object is to provide a juicer wherein the upper stationary cutter plate may. be readily removed for gaining access to the cutter plates and the screen for'cleaning them, and the rotary cutter plate may then be unscrewed lustrated a preferred and desirable embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a Juicer embodying my invention, the major portion of the motor thereof being shown in elevation;

Figure 1 is a sectional view as on the line l= i of Figure 4; 1

Figure 1 is a sectional view on the line l"i of Figure 1;;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2--2 01' Figure 1, showing a lock for the motor shaft;

Figure 3 is a sectionalview on the line' 3-3 of Figure 4 is a similar sectional view on the line l--4 of Figure 1, showing a plan view of the rotary'cutter plate of my juicer, and

Figures 5 and 6 are'enlarged vertical'sectional views on the lines 5-5 and 66 of- Figure 1,

showing the shape and opposite relation of cut- I ter teeth onthe rotary and stationary cutter plates of my juicer.

49 On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral iii to indicate a motor housing. The housing III-also serves asa support for the'entire Juicer mechanism. The housing it may be provided withthre'e or more sup'- portins teet i2 formed of'rubber' or the like.

The'shape of the housing iii in general is ,a v vertical cylinder; Thehousing'is open at its upper end, having a narrow inturned flange l3. iThe flange- I3 is provided with-preferably three 50 openings ll receiving resilientbushings iii of rubber or the like.

A mounting base it is provided for a motor M and for 'my juicer mechanism. The mounting base I6 is in the form of a plate having a central from a sleeve on the motor shalt, a lock in the hub l1 and three downwardly extending studs ll.

'I'he-studs IB extend through the bushings l and are secured therein by screws l3 and washers .20.

The motor is positionedagainst three locating studs 2| depending from the mounting base l6 and entering sockets 22 of the upper end plate 23 of the motor M. The motor M may be secured in position as by elongated screws 24.

.. position to therotary plate 39. The stationary Resting on three locating pads 25 of the mounting base I6 is a bowl 26. The bowl 26 has a 10'- cating stud 21 entering a perforation 28 in the mounting base I6 to prevent rotation of the juicer bowl-relative to the mounting plate. The juice bowl also has a cylindrical upturned flange 29 to prevent juice from flowing into the boss l1.

vA juice discharge opening 30 is provided in one side of the bowl 26 and communicates with a juice discharge spout 3 I.

The shaft of the motor M is indicated at 32. Keyed thereon is a flanged cutter drive sleeve 33. The drive sleeve 33 is journaled in ball bearings 34 located in the hub ll of the mounting base I6. An adjustable supporting nut 35 is provided for the bearing 34 and when once adjusted it may be retained at its adjusted position by a set screw 36.

The flange of the cutter drive sleeve 33 is threaded as indicated at 3! to coact with a threaded hub 38 of a lower cutter plate 39. .The cutter plate 39 is inverted cone-shape and relatively shallow, its irmer face being provided with cutting teeth or ribs 40 which are substantially V-shape in cross section, as shown in Figure 6. The periphery of the cutter plate 39 has a flat portion, indicated at 4|, outside of which a plurality of ribs 42 extend upwardly and outwardly to a rim 43. Supported in a groove 44 just outside the flat portion 4| and on the rim 43 is a cone-shaped screen i 45 sloping upwardly and outwardly at an angle of substantially 60, as shown, (spaced from 42). Adjacent the periphery of the rim 43 is an annular ledge 46 seated against a shoulder 41 in the upper edge of the juice bowl 26. The rim 46 extends completely around the bowl and has an upstanding flange 46 extending around the bowl, with the exception of a pulp discharge slot 48 therein (see Figure 3), which coincides with a similar pulp discharge slot 49 of the juice bowl. The slots 48 and 49 open into a pulp chute 50 which has a slot 5| registering with the slots 48 and 49. The pulp chute 50 has a pair of dovetail projections 52 adapted to seat in companion dovetail projec tions 53 on the periphery of the juice bowl 26. Downward movement of the pulp chute is limited by its upper wall engaging a flange 54 of the juice bowl 26, as shown in Figure 1. chute, however, may be lifted and removed for the purpose of cleaning it out when desired.

The upper edge of the rim 43 is provided with a pair of grooves 55 arranged at a slight angle to a radial line and pulp expeller blades 56 are mounted therein as shown in Figure 3. The blades 56 just clear the top of the annular ledge 46 and sweep any pulp therefrom to the slots 48 .and 59 and discharge the pulp therethrough by centrifugal force.

The pulp chute 50 has a peculiar shape which is perhaps best illustrated in Figures 1 and 1 of the drawings. In Figure 1 the cross section of the pulp chute at approximately its center involves an upper wall slanted outwardly and downwardly as indicated at 50'. At the front end of'the chute the wall has less slant, as indicated at 60*, while at the rear end of the chute The pulp plate 51'is provided with cutting ribs or teeth 58 similar-tothe-rib s 40. The peripheral edge of the stationary cutter plate 51 is flat, as indicated at 59,' and the peripheral flat edge 4| of therotar Scutterplate cooperates therewith to form a very narrow slot through which pulp and juice may pass, providing the pulp has been reduced to small enough particles. By way of example, the 'distance'between the edges 4| and 69 may be .015 inch. This distance may be varied as desired by adjusting the nut 35 under the bearing 34, which adjustment is preferably a factory adjustment, inasmuch as when the dis-' tance is once set at a predetermined spacing it will be found satisfactory for most fruits and vegetables juiced in the machine.

The stationary cutter plate 51 is supported by an inverted truncated cone-shaped cylinder 60 having a flange 6| resting on the upper edge of the stationary rim 46. A cover plate 62 is provided and the entire assembly of cutter plate 51, cylinder 60 and cover plate 62 are held in assembled relation by three screws 63. The screws 63 extend upwardly through the cutter plate and into threaded bosses 64 of the cover plate.

The cutter plate 51 is provided at its central portion with a feed tube 65, with which the lower end of an extension feed tube 661s connected. The upper end of the extension feed tube 66 is seated in a boss 61 of the cover plate 62 and the cover plate is provided with an intake opening 68 within the boss 6?.

The assembly of plates 51 and 62 and cylinder 63 is readily removable for gaining access to the interior of the juicer for washing it out. The assembly is retained in position by a bail 69 having pintles 10 received in perforations "H in the sides of the motor housing ID, as shown adjacent the bottom of Figure 4. The upper cross member of the bale 69 is indicated at 12. It is adapted to snap into a seat 13 in the top of the cover plate 62.

Referring to Figure 2, a means for locking the motor shaft against rotation is provided for purposes of unscrewing the rotary cutter plate 33 from the flanged driving sleeve 33. This means consists of providing perforations 14 in the sleeve 33 to receive the inner end of a stop pin 15, as illustrated by full lines. The stop pin 15 is slidably mounted in a perforated ear 16 and through a rubber bushing TI mounted in a hub 18 of the motor housing ID. The bushing 11 prevents transmission of vibration from the motor and Juicer assembly to the supporting housing l0. Normally the stop pin 15 is held in retracted position (shown by dotted lines) by a spring 19.

Practical operation 40 and 58. The action of the rotating teeth and stationary teeth will continue to reduce the material to pulp and juice, and centrifugal force will continue to move the material outwardly as its size becomes reduced. The juices of the material and any pulp that is reduced to sufficient fineness will be thrown through the slot 4|59 and against the lower edge of the screen 45. The screen, since it is rapidly rotating, will separate the pulp by centrifugal force from the juice, the juice being thrown against the outer wall of the juice bowl 26 and finally flowing out through the juice spout 3|. The wall 29 of the juice bowl will prevent juice from contacting with the under surface of the rotary cutter plate 39 and getting into the bearing 34.

The pulp strained out of the juice by the screen 45 has a tendency to work up the screen against the force of gravity and due to centrifugal force. As additional pulp is discharged from the slot il59, it will aid in the pulp moving process, and finally the pulp will be caught by the blades 56, swept around the ledge 46 and discharged through the pulp chute 50.

The pulp discharging action is such that an arcuate quantity of pulp on the ledge 46 is pushed around the ledge by the blade 55, and the first part of the pulp is thrown outwardly by centrifugal force against the pulp chute wall 50*. As the pulp accumulates and the arcuate piece of pulp becomes larger in cross sectional dimension and also shorter in length as the blade 55 comes closer to the slots 48 and 59, the pulp has an ever increasing tendency to be thrown off tangentially from the ledge 46 so that it hits the wall portion 50 and is thereby efiiciently deflected downwardly toward the lower end of the chute 50. Finally, when the blade 55 has nearly reached the slots 48 and 59, the degree of tangency is increased and the last of the pulp ahead of the blade is thrown against the wall portion 50, which is more steeply inclined, and therefore has more tendency to defiect the pulp downwardly. In this manner centrifugal action, in addition to the action of the blade 55, provides an efiicient means for conveying the pulp first outwardly from the juicer mechanism and then downwardly for proper discharge.

Due to the cone shape of the cutter plates, it is unnecessary to force the material being juiced into the machine. The material is merely dropped through the opening 68 and centrifugal force takes care of the proper feeding of the material through the cutting teeth and finally through the slot M--59 as fast as the machine will take it.

After the machine has been used, it may be readily cleaned by swinging the bail 12 toward the left, in Figure 1, and out of the way of the cover plate 62. The cover plate may then be lifted and the stationary cutter 51 and outer face of the cylinder 60 readily washed. The entire rotary cutter and screen assembly may be readily removed by pressing inwardly on the stop pin 15 and unscrewing the rotary cutter at the threads 31, after which said assembly may be washed with water from an open faucet. The pulp chute 50, of course, may be entirely cleaned out after it has been lifted from position in its dovetailed connections 5253.

From the foregoing disclosure, it is obvious that I have provided a juicer which may be easily operated, as it is merely necessary to energize the motor M and feed the material into the juicer. The juicer thereafter takes care of feeding the material properly and the discharge of juice and pulp after the pulp has been separated from the juice. Centrifugal action causes maximum juice extraction, so that the pulp issuing from the chute 50 is relatively dry. The machine is made of very few parts and the parts are rugged, so that they will give long service; and the possibility of failure of any of the parts is'reduced to a minimum due to their design and the way in which the juicer operates.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spiritand purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any'modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fruit and vegetable juicer comprising a mounting base, a motor mounted thereon and depending therefrom, a housing for said motor, resilient means for mounting said mounting base on said housing, a lower fruit and vegetable cutter mounted on the shaft of said motor and comprising an inverted cone provided with substantially radially extending cutter teeth, a stationary upper cutter above said lower cutter, said stationary cutter being in the shape of a frustrum of a cone and provided with substantially radially extending cutter teeth, a narrow discharge slot between the peripheries of said lower and stationary cutters through which pulp and juice are expelled by centrifugal force, a feed tube discharging through said stationary cutter into the space between the lower and stationary cutters, a screen carried by the lower cutter outside said peripheral'slot, said screen being inverted truncated cone shape, a juice receiving bowl surrounding said screen and having a juice discharge spout, said juice bowl having an annular ledge adjacent the top of said screen and a pulp discharge opening above said ledge, a blade carried by the upper edge of said screen to sweep pulp moved up the screen by centrifugal force and additional pulp from said peripheral slot off said ledge and through said pulp discharge opening, and a pulp discharge chute extending downwardly from said pulp discharge opening.

2. In a fruit and vegetable juicer, a mounting base, a motor depending therefrom, a housing for said motor, resilient means for supporting said mounting base with respect to said housing, an inverted cone shaped cutter mounted on the shaft of said motor and provided with cutter teeth, a

stationary cutter facing said first cutter, said stationary cutterbeing in the shape of a frustrum of a cone, said cutters being provided with opposed cutter teeth, a narrow discharge slot between the peripheries of said cutters through which pulp and juice are expelled by centrifugal force, said stationary cutter having a feed opening into the space between said cutters, a tubular screen carried by the second cutter outside said peripheral slot, said peripheral slot being adja-- cent the bottom of said tubular screen, and a juice receiving bowl surrounding said screen and having a pulp discharge opening adjacent the upper end of said tubular screen.

3. A juicer of the character disclosed comprising a juice receiving bowl, a rotary cutter within said bowl, drive means for said rotary cutter and extending downwardly therefrom, said juice receiving bowl having a cylindrical wall surrounding said drive means, said rotary cutter comprising a dished plate having cutter teeth therein, an inverted dished stationary cutter plate having cutter teeth therein, the periphery of said rotary cutter being closely spaced relative to the periphery of said stationary cutter, an opening through said stationary cutter to receive material to be juiced, said rotary cutter having upwardly and outwardly inclined spokes terminating in a rim, a cone irustrum shaped screen within said sluice receiving bowl, surrounding said cutter peripheries and supported by said rotary cutter and said rim, said juice receiving bowl having a pulp discharge slot adjacent the top of said screen, and a pulp chute removably positioned on said juice receiving bowl and having a pulp receiving slot registered with the pulp discharge slot of said juice receiving bowl.

4. A juicer of the character disclosed comprising a juice receiving bowl, a rotary cutter within said bowl having a groove adjacent its periphery and upwardly and outwardly inclined spokes beyond said groove and terminating in a rim, drive means for said rotary cutter and extending downwardly therefrom, said juice receiving bowl having an upstanding annular wall surrounding said drive means, said rotary cutter. comprising a dished plate having cutter teeth therein, an inverted dished stationary cutter plate having cutter teeth therein, the peripheries of said rotary and stationary cutters being closely spaced relative to each other, an opening through said s ationary cutter to receive material to be juiced, a cone frustrum shaped screen carried at its lower edge by said groove of said rotary cutter and at its upper.edge by said rim, said juice receiving bowl having a pulp discharge opening adjacent the top of said screen.

5. In a juicer of the character disclosed, an

annular juice receiving bowl, rotary and stationary cutters within said bowl, drive means for said rotary cutter and extending downwardly therefrom through the center of said juice receiving bowl, said cutters comprising dished plates having opposed cutter teeth therein, the marginal periphery of said rotary cutter being closely spaced relative to the marginal periphery of said stationary cutter and said marginalperipheries presenting substantially parallel faces to provide a confining discharge slot having radial extent and having awidth less than twenty thousandths of an inch, an opening through said stationary cutter to receive material to be juiced, and a rotary screen driven by said motor and surrounding said slot, said juice receiving bowl having a pulp discharge opening adjacent the top of said screen.

6. A juicer of the character disclosed compris ing an annular juice receiving bowl, rotary and stationary dished cutters within said bowl, drive means for rotating said rotary cutter on a vertical axis, said cutters having opposed radial cutter teeth therein of increasing depth from the center toward the periphery and terminating in substantially fiat peripheral margins closely spaced relative to each other which constitute a pulp and juice discharge slot, and a frustroconical screen carried by said rotary cutter adjacent the periphery thereof and within said J'uice receiving bowl, said juice receiving bowl having a pulp discharge opening adjacent the top of said screen.

being closely spaced to confine pulp and juice discharged therethrough by centrifugal force to relatively fine particles, the outer ends of said cutting teeth constituting inward projections of said fiat marginal portions, a rotary screen exterior of and surrounding said cutter plate peripheries, a juice receiving bowl surrounding said rotary screen, said screen being inverted truncated cone shaped to discharge pulp from its upper peripheral edge, and blades carried by .said upper edge to effect such pulp discharge.

8. In a juicer, a pair of relatively rotatable dished cutter plates having their open sides facing each other and provided with opposed radial cutting teeth of triangular cross-section and of progressively greater size from the centers toward the peripheries of said cutter plates, means for admitting material to be juiced to the space between said cutter plates, the peripheries of'said cutter plates having marginal surfaces closely spaced and arranged at right angles to the axis of rotation to confine pulp and juice discharged therethrough to relatively fine particles, said cutting teeth terminating in the planes of said marginal surfaces,.a cone frustrum shaped rotary screen exterior of and surrounding said peripheral slot and carried by said rotary cutter, a juice receiving bowl surrounding said rotary screen, and means for adjusting said outters with respect to each other to vary the space between their peripheral edges and thereby the fineness of particles discharging through said slot.

9. In a juicer for fruit, vegetables and the like, rotatable and stationary .dished cutter plates having their open sides facing each other and provided with tppositecutting teeth triangular in cross-section, a shaft for rotating said rotatable. cutter, a bearing for said shaft, means for admitting material to be juiced to the space 7 between said cutter plates, the peripheries of said cutter plates having flat marginal portions closely spaced relative to each other, said cutting teeth terminating as inward extensions of said flat marginal portions, a rotary screen in the shape of a frustrum of a cone arranged exterior of and surrounding said cutter plate peripheries, means for adjusting said bearing axially to vary the spacing between said cutter plate peripheries, a juice receiving bowl surrounding said rotary screen, said screen being outwardly and upwardly inclined from said cutterplate peripheries to discharge pulp from the upper edge of thescreen, and means carried by said upper edge to effect such pulp discharge.

10. In a juicer of the character described, a pair of relatively rotatable dished cutter plates having their open sides facing each other and provided with opposed cutting teeth, means for admitting material to be juiced to the space between said cutter plates, the marginal peripheries of said cutter plates being fiat, parallel and closely spaced to provide a peripheral slot for pulp and juice to discharge through in relatively fine particles by centrifugal force, said cutting teeth having outer terminal ends in the planes of, and forming inward extensions of, the faces of'said marginal peripheries, a cone frustrum shaped rotary screen surrounding said peripheral slot,'and a juicereceiving bowl surrounding said rotary screen.

11; In a juicer, stationary and rotatable dished cutter plates having their open sides facing each other and provided with opposite radial cutting teeth ct, triangular cross-section andincreasing area toward the peripheries of the plates, a shaft for said rotary cutter plate, means for admitting material to be juiced to the space between said cutter plates, the peripheries of said cutter plates being closely spaced to provide a peripheral pulp and juice discharge slot and the terminal ends of said cutting teeth forming triangular inward extensions of the faces of said peripheries, a truncated cone shaped rotary screen surrounding said peripheral slot, extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom at an angle of approximately 60 and adapted for discharge of pulp from its upper peripheral edge, and a juice receiving bowl surrounding said rotary screen.

larly grooved peripheral portion terminating in upwardly extending arms, a rim connecting the upper ends of said arms together, a truncated cone shaped screen surrounding said cutter teeth and supported with its lower edge in said annular groove, its intermediate portion and its 12. A juicer comprising a motor arranged with Y edge in said annular groove, and its upper edge against said rim, a juice receiving bowl surrounding said screen, an upwardly dished cutter plate mounted on the rim of said juice receiving bowl, depending within said screen and having its open side facing the open side of said rotatable cutter plate, saidstationary cutter plate having a feed opening therethrough to the space between said cutter plates, said juice receiving bowl having an annular ledge and a pulp discharge slot adjacent the top thereof and a blade mounted on said rim to discharge pulp through said pulp discharge slot.

13. A juicer comprising a motor arranged with its shaft vertical, 9. dished cutter plate mounted thereon and having cutter teeth and an annuupper edge against said rim, 9. juice receiving bowl surrounding said screen, and an upwardly dished cutter plate mounted on the rim of said juice receiving bowl, depending within said screen and having its open side facing the open side of said rotatable cutter plate, said stationary cutter plate having a feed opening therethrough to the space between said cutter plates, said juice receiving bowl having a pulp discharge opening above the top of said rim.

14. A juicer of the character disclosed comprising a juice receiving bowl, rotary and stationary oppositely dished cutters within said bowl, drive means for said rotary cutter, the

periphery of said rotary cutter being closelyspaced relative to the periphery of said stationary cutter to provide a slot which permits centrifugal discharge of comminuted pulp and juice only, a screen within said juice receiving bowl carried by said rotary cutter and surrounding said slot, said juice receiving bowl having a pulp discharge slot adjacent the top of said screen, said screen having a blade to project pulp from the screen through said slot, and a pulp chute mounted on said juice receiving bowl and having a slot to receive the pulp, and top and outside walls against which the pulp impinges, said top wall being slanted downwardly and outwardly and the degree of slant increasing from the front to the back thereof.

MAXWELL D. GIILANDERS. 

